#IMC: September 14 - 18 2025

Herding in the Highlands: Biomolecular Insights into Human-Camelid Relationship in the Andean Mountains

Assigned Session: FS 3.237: Open Poster Session

Abstract ID: 3.11630 | Accepted as Poster | Talk/Oral | TBA | TBA

Sarah Noe (0)
Haas, Randy (1), Aldenderfer, Mark (2)
Sarah Noe ((0) University of California, Santa Barbara, 1806 San Pascual St, 93101, Santa Barbara, California, US)
Haas, Randy (1), Aldenderfer, Mark (2)

(0) University of California, Santa Barbara, 1806 San Pascual St, 93101, Santa Barbara, California, US
(1) University of Wyoming, 1000 E University Ave, Laramie, WY 82071
(2) University of California, Merced, 5200 Lake Rd, Merced, CA 95343

(1) University of Wyoming, 1000 E University Ave, Laramie, WY 82071
(2) University of California, Merced, 5200 Lake Rd, Merced, CA 95343

Categories: Archaeology
Keywords: human-camelid relationship, Andean Mountains, Genetics, Isotope, High-altitude adaptation

Categories: Archaeology
Keywords: human-camelid relationship, Andean Mountains, Genetics, Isotope, High-altitude adaptation

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The high-altitude Andes posed significant challenges for early human populations, including hypoxia, cold temperatures, and high metabolic demands. Despite these constraints, the domestication and management of llamas and alpacas enabled long-term occupation by providing essential resources for transport, mobility, and subsistence. Emerging evidence suggests camelid domestication occurred at multiple loci across the Andes, including the Lake Titicaca Basin, the Puna of northern Chile and Argentina, and the central Andean highlands of Peru. This presentation examines patterns of camelid domestication, management, and mobility through genetic and isotopic analysis. While genetic methods have been widely applied to domestication studies globally, their use in Andean camelids remains underdeveloped. By analyzing genetic diversity and dietary signatures from archaeological remains spanning multiple sites and time periods, we explore how herding strategies evolved in response to environmental and social pressures. This research contributes to broader discussions on human-animal interactions in extreme landscapes, highlighting how biomolecular approaches refine our understanding of long-term high-altitude adaptation.

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